Long-awaited Albany Ring Road opens to traffic on Sunday, officially renamed Menang Drive

The last section of the biggest road project in the Great Southern will open to traffic on Sunday with a new name to christen its official launch.

From May 19, traffic will flow along the $215m Albany Ring Road, which has been officially named Menang Drive.

Transport Minister Rita Saffioti said in a statement the project aimed to deliver both a free-flowing connection for residents and a dedicated freight route for heavy vehicles, with graded separations and three new interchanges to ease traffic burdens.

“The issue of heavy vehicles having to use local roads to access the port has long been a concern, which is why our Government made this commitment to the people of Albany and the Great Southern,” she said.

“Removing heavy vehicles from the existing local network will improve safety on Chester Pass Road, Albany Highway and South Coast Highway and enhance amenity for local residents and visitors alike.

“The new ring road will support the future economic growth of Albany and the Great Southern region by making truck movements to and from the Port of Albany as efficient as possible.”

The 11km road project started construction in September 2020 to reduce heavy vehicles bound to and from the port from local roads.

Sections of the road opened to traffic in late March, enabling traffic to bypass the built-up areas of Albany on Chester Pass Road and the highway as well as smoothing the flow between southern suburbs and tourist attractions.

Ms Saffioti, Albany MLA Rebecca Stephens, City of Albany mayor Greg Stocks and Main Roads representatives will officially open the road on Saturday before traffic hits the road on Sunday.